Cloud Computing: Network Edge Virtualization – Solving the Static Problem?
June 26, 2014
Grazed from Midsize Insider. Author: Doug Bonderud.
While many midsize companies see the value in moving away from local stacks and physical mainframes, overall efficiency is often crippled by existing static networks. Software-defined networks (SDNs) and network edge virtualization may not be as flashy as the cloud or as disruptive as bring-your-own-device (BYOD), but could have a significant impact on the utility of virtualized resources.
Better Network, Better Net Worth
A June 18 piece from MSPAlliance examines the Nemertes Report "Application Delivery for Virtualized Infrastructures." According to the report, "Virtualized infrastructures are highly dynamic and increasingly automated. By comparison, the network delivering applications to users tends to still be static, fragile and manually configured." In other words, while businesses have learned the value of virtualization in the "center," edge functions remain largely unchanged. As a result, efficient use of resources in virtualized containers is countermanded by transmission through legacy systems…
The answer? One possibility is better edge network virtualization. In the same way that resources can be intelligently distributed among applications in the center, edge virtualization allows intelligent integration and activation of apps rather than the free-for-all common with most traditional network setups. Imagine the network as a doorkeeper of sorts, one that must determine which applications are allowed through and how much bandwidth they are allotted. This task is too complex and time-consuming for a human IT admin, and so standard operating procedure has been to throw apps at a network and see what sticks. Once past the gate, any apps in the virtual center function efficiently, but what happens when too many try to cram through at once? Edge virtualization extends the same kind of center control out along the network, allowing automatic management of integration and access…
Read more from the source @ http://midsizeinsider.com/en-us/article/network-edge-virtualization-solving-the#.U6x9TZRdWRM